Leslieville Summer Front Garden Weeding

Summer 2019 Rolls On and the Weeds Follow in Step

After a relatively cold and wet May, it's truly feeling like summer with temperatures soaring into the mid-high 30s (Celsius) and humidex readings into the 40s this week! With higher temperatures and copious amounts of rain, the weeds naturally have exploded in growth. Which means many business requests for me. A virtuous circle as it were. 

Let's face it: few of us (myself included) want to be out in furnace-like conditions pulling or digging out little (and not so little) bits of unwanted vegetation when our summers here in Toronto are so short. I would be mortified to show you my backyard.

This post brings us back to, Leslieville, a neighbourhood I visit frequently in Toronto's east-end. I weed this client's front yard annually (yes, really, once a year!) It's very small but usually jammed pack full of weeds when I arrive.

Leslieville Toronto Summer Garden Cleanup Before 

Leslieville Toronto Summer Garden Cleanup After

Leslieville Summer Front Garden Cleanup Before

Leslieville Summer Front Garden Cleanup After 

I transplanted some extra common-as-nails variegated hostas  after removing the weedy grass, as shown above.

A variety of annual weeds fill the 
garden bed near the front edge

Leslieville Toronto Summer Front Garden Cleanup After 

Toronto Summer Garden Cleanup in Leslieville Before

Toronto Summer Garden Cleanup in Leslieville After

Toronto Summer Garden Cleanup in Leslieville Before

Toronto Summer Garden Cleanup in Leslieville After

Toronto Leslieville Summer Garden Cleanup Before

Toronto Leslieville Summer Garden Cleanup After

Leslieville Toronto Summer Garden Cleanup Before

Leslieville Toronto Summer Garden Cleanup After 

I recommended to the client that she place some mulch down to reduce the amount of grass and other wind-borne weed seedlings from popping up again. If you ask me, one of the top five "worst" weeds I encounter is grass or turf growing in flower beds. Strangely, no one around this house is growing a lawn (too many trees, too small a frontage) so it's a bit of mystery where the grass seeds are coming from!

Annual Garden Maintenance In Riverdale

Riverdale Summer Garden Cleanup: When the Landlord's Away, the Gardens Will Go Astray...

If you see a very weedy front garden, there's a high probability that the property is rented and the homeowner lives off-site. I've come across this scenario many times over the years. A tenant will only notify the landlord to pass on a complaint from (usually) the neighbour. "Out of sight, out of mind" for most landlords.

I've actually profiled this front garden (which is a large raised bed on a corner lot) in August 2018 in a post titled "Weeding a Riverdale Corner Garden and Driveway: Better Late Than Never--A (Really) Late Summer Toronto Garden Cleanup" when the weeds were actually even higher! The owner contacted me again for another cleanup to not only pull out all the new weeds but rake up the old leaves from last autumn. 

This is truly annual garden maintenance!

Toronto Riverdale Summer Front Garden Cleanup Before

Riverdale Summer Front Garden Cleanup Before

Riverdale Summer Front Garden Cleanup Before

 

Toronto Riverdale Summer Front Garden Cleanup Before

Riverdale Front Garden Summer Cleanup Before

Riverdale Summer Front Garden Cleanup Before 

Post Cleanup....

After the annual weeds were pulled out and old decaying autumn 2018 leaves were raked away, another 2-3 inch layer of mulch was applied. Otherwise, we'll have "pasture"-like conditions by the end of this season.

Toronto Riverdale Summer Front Garden Cleanup After 

Riverdale Summer Front Garden Cleanup After

Riverdale Summer Front Garden Cleanup After  Company

Toronto Riverdale Summer Front Garden Cleanup After 

Riverdale Front Garden Summer Cleanup After 

Riverdale Summer Front Garden Cleanup After 

Let's see how things are in a year!